Design a Key-Value Store

1. Problem Statement

2. Architecture Discussion Map

Use this as one discussion aid, not a single correct answer. Your design should follow from the requirements, scale, and trade-offs you establish.

graph LR
    A["Design a Key-Value Store"]
    A --> F1["Replication Strategies Leaderless vs Leader-Follower"]
    A --> F2["Consistency Models Tunable Consistency, Quorum N/R/W"]
    A --> F3["Partitioning Consistent Hashing & VNodes"]
    A --> F4["Conflict Resolution Vector Clocks vs LWW"]
    A --> F5["Membership & Failure Detection gossip or a membership service"]

3. Key Focus Areas

• 1
  Replication Strategies (Leaderless vs Leader-Follower)
• 2
  Consistency Models (Tunable Consistency, Quorum N/R/W)
• 3
  Partitioning (Consistent Hashing & VNodes)
• 4
  Conflict Resolution (Vector Clocks vs LWW)
• 5
  Membership & Failure Detection (gossip or a membership service)

4. What the Interviewer Looks For

The interviewer probes these areas, and the report grades the interview against them.

• Consistency contract and capacity
• Partitioning and membership
• Replication, quorums, and write availability
• Conflict resolution and repair
• Storage engine and hotspots